Living a life which supports a healthy heart is a wise choice. You are not alone if you feel that you could be doing more to support the health of your heart. This is clear with the scary fact that heart disease is the number one killer of Australians. There are many factors which influence your risk of developing heart disease. One factor you may not have thought about is the role your gut microbiome plays in influencing your risk of developing heart disease.
New research provides new insight on the link between your gut microbiome in influencing your risk of developing a type of heart disease called ischemic heart disease. Ischemic heart disease is a type of heart disease where plaque build up in your arteries which restrict blood flow to your heart.
This new research looked specifically if the changes in your gut microbiome happen when your body starts to show an imbalance and dysmetabolism. It was found that 75% of the changes in your gut which is linked to heart disease occurred during the initial stages of dysmetabolism such as when a person develops type two diabetes or obesity. This is powerful research as it shows that changes may be able to be made in the diet to reverse these changes before the onset of heart disease.
The results found that those with the alterations to the gut microbiome had a reduced production of short chain fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids send signals from your gut to different parts of your body and promote health and normal functioning of your heart. In addition to this, those with dysmetabolism had an increased amount of branched chain amino acid production which is linked to poorer health outcomes for your body.
In contrast, the healthy individuals in this study had an increased amount of short chain fatty acids, lower levels of branched chain amino acids, lower level of aromatic amino acid production and lower levels of trimethylamine N-oxide.
A diet which supports a healthy gut microbiome is rich in plant-based foods. This includes wholegrains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Whole foods give the health promoting microbes in your gut the fuel they need to function and continue to produce positive messages in the form of short chain fatty acids out to different parts of your body.
The main type of fuel your health promoting microbes’ needs is prebiotic fibre. This is a type of carbohydrate which cannot be digested by your body but your health promoting microbes love to eat. Each microbe variety requires different types of prebiotic fuel which is why aiming for thirty different plant foods a week is a gut loving lifestyle habit to have.
In addition to this, plant-based foods also give your health promoting microbes’ other forms of fuel such as polyphenols. Research also suggests that omega-3 fat, specifically the type found in seafood is another source of fuel for the health promoting microbes in your gut.
In contrast, a diet high in processed meats, added sugar and salt, contains too much animal meat and is low in fibre is linked to an imbalance in your gut microbiome. It can cause the growth of too much of a certain type of microbe as well as types of microbes which send out unhealthy signals out to your body and is linked to disease sates like heart disease.
Take home message: Prioritising a diet which supports a healthy gut microbiome could help reduce your risk of developing heart disease in the future. There are ways to reduce your risk of heart disease through diet even if there have been changes in your gut due to states of dysmetabolism like obesity and types two diabetes.
References:
- Fromentin S, Forslund SK, Chechi K, Aron-Wisnewsky J, Chakaroun R, Nielsen T, Tremaroli V, Ji B, Prifti E, Myridakis A, Chilloux J, Andrikopoulos P, Fan Y, Olanipekun MT, Alves R, Adiouch S, Bar N, Talmor-Barkan Y, Belda E, Caesar R, Coelho LP, Falony G, Fellahi S, Galan P, Galleron N, Helft G, Hoyles L, Isnard R, Le Chatelier E, Julienne H, Olsson L, Pedersen HK, Pons N, Quinquis B, Rouault C, Roume H, Salem JE, Schmidt TSB, Vieira-Silva S, Li P, Zimmermann-Kogadeeva M, Lewinter C, Søndertoft NB, Hansen TH, Gauguier D, Gøtze JP, Køber L, Kornowski R, Vestergaard H, Hansen T, Zucker JD, Hercberg S, Letunic I, Bäckhed F, Oppert JM, Nielsen J, Raes J, Bork P, Stumvoll M, Segal E, Clément K, Dumas ME, Ehrlich SD, Pedersen O. Microbiome and metabolome features of the cardiometabolic disease spectrum. Nat Med. 2022 Feb;28(2):303-314. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01688-4. Epub 2022 Feb 17. PMID: 35177860; PMCID: PMC8863577.
2. What is Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke. Health System University of Michigan https://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/CCG/IHDshort.pdf.
